Diploma in General Studies

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

The University Foundation certificate program is an intensive, full-time academic preparation program specifically designed for students who do not meet the English language requirements for full-time academic study at UFV.

The University Foundation certificate program (UFP) is an intensive program designed to help students make the transition from English Language Studies (ELS) to full-time university-level programs. Students take core ELS courses and university-level academic courses at the same time. When you successfully complete the University Foundation certificate, you meet the English requirement for full-time academic study at UFV. The University Foundation certificate program has two levels. Students are expected to maintain a 2.33 grade point average and complete the required ELS core courses at each level with a C+ or higher in ELS EAP084.

The number of university-level courses you can choose is based on your UFP level and grade point average (GPA).

Do you have a passion for social justice? Have you always been interested in social issues? 

UFV's Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree prepares you to collaborate with individuals, families, groups and communities in diverse envronments and cultural settings. Upon graduation you can apply to register with the British Columbia College of Social Workers (RSW). Or, opt to pursue further studies and complete a Master of Social Work degree at UFV.

You enter the BSW when you are in third year after you've completed 60 credits. Once admitted to the program, you will complete two field placements with one of UFV's community partners. The program offers flexibility so you can carry on with other commitments in your life while earning your degree. 

View the Bachelor of Social Work's program outline in the UFV Academic Calendar

Child Welfare specialization
Choose to specialize your Bachelor of Social Work in the area of child welfare where you may complete a practicum with the Ministry of Children and Family Development or a Delegated Aboriginal Agency.

The Bachelor of Integrated Studies — UFV's most customizable degree program — lets you choose from over 100 courses from various disciplines and programs, so you can earn an undergraduate degree tailored to your personal career and academic needs. As part of the program, you draw on a mixture of in-class and online learning opportunities, field-based courses, and professional learning experiences to achieve competency in six core areas:

• Effective communications
• Scientific literacy
• Digital
• Use and analysis of numerical information
• Intercultural engagement
• Professional and applied skills

The Bachelor of Integrated Studies is an excellent option if you want to pursue interdisciplinary studies, combine minors, or change your educational focus partway through your degree. You can also include credits earned while completing a certificate or diploma at UFV or other accredited community colleges or universities.

UFV’s four-year Bachelor of Arts with a Philosophy major or minor is designed to teach you to think independently and become a powerful problem-solver.

Philosophy major
As part of your philosophy studies, you take courses in the history of philosophy, where you examine early schools of thought and learn about the origins of modern philosophy. First and second year courses provide a broad knowledge of reasoning, morality, and politics, while third and fourth year courses allow you to deepen your understanding of logic, philosophical theory, metaphysics, and political philosophy.

The major includes the following general requirements:

• 9 introductory courses in Philosophy
• 9 credits in lower and upper-level History of Philosophy courses
• 3 credits in logic
• 3 credits in each of: Philosophical Theory, Metaphysics and Epistemology, and Political Philosophy

Gain a framework to understand societal structures and evaluate global social challenges including inequality, poverty, sexism, racism, violence, and climate change.

Sociology major
Study of the development, structure, and functioning of human societies.

Start your studies by delving into sociology's key ideas and concepts, while building an understanding of culture, social change, socialization, stratification, social structure, institutions, race and ethnicity, gender, and age and class. In your third and fourth year, study advanced sociological topics, while gaining practical skills in qualitative and quantitative research.

When you graduate, you have developed the rational thinking, presentation, and  writing skills that are key for academic and professional success.

Take UFV's Community Support Worker Certificate to work in a variety of roles with children and adults with mental and/or physical disabilities. Acquire skills and knowledge needed to work on the front-lines in school and community settings. Learn professional ethics and standards, the history of service delivery, philosophies of helping, adaptive technologies, communications, and how to create inclusive communities. 

Earn your Community Support Worker certifiate from UFV on a full or part-time basis as you complete 31 credits, including a 200-hour supervised field experience in a social service or school setting.

View Community Support Worker's program outline in the UFV Academic Calendar

When you graduate you can apply to earn a Social Services diploma, entering in the second year, The diploma would qualify you for employment in program management and administration. 

UFV’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate program is an excellent foundation to purse a career working with young children.

Especially designed for students who are coming out of high school, and those already in the workforce the four-semester program takes you through basic courses in communication, interpersonal growth, human development, and the early childhood curriculum.

You explore the theories and current trends in physical, cognitive and psycho-social development, from conception to the age of eighteen. In addition, you are introduced to different recording techniques that have been developed from observing children’s social, play, language, motor, and cognitive development.

In the third and fourth semesters, you also complete a 200-hour introductory and a 200-hour advanced practicum where you put Early Childhood Education theories into practice, document your experience, and apply advanced competencies including parent interaction, self-evaluation, and peer evaluation.

Develop your artistic skill, become a creative problem solver, and learn how to flourish in the creative arts industry by earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). In your first year, you can explore a range of Fine Arts discipline while you complete the BFA general requirements in writing, logical reasoning, and science.

Before the end of your second year, you focus your degree, based on your career goals and personal interests, by choosing a major or two extended minors from the list below:

• Majors
  • Visual Arts
  • Graphic and Digital Design
• Extended Minors
  • Art History and Visual Studies
  • Creative Writing
  • Graphic and Digital Design
  • Media and Communication Studies
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts
• Minors
  • Art History
  • Business
  • Creative Writing
  • Graphic and Digital Design
  • Media and Communication Studies
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts

In your third and fourth years of study you deepen your knowledge by completing the requirements for your major, minor, or extended minors, and by selecting your choice of electives to meet the credential requirements of your degree.

A Liberal Arts diploma is an excellent choice if you want to explore broadly before you choose a discipline in the arts.

The Liberal Arts diploma program requires a minimum of 60 university-level credits. It is designed to provide you with a breadth of intellectual and academic experience while recognizing the importance of concentrated study in a specific field or discipline.

The diploma may serve as a stepping stone if you plan to transfer or eventually want to continue your studies to earn a Bachelor of Arts at UFV. If you’re planning to pursue the BA at UFV, you can simultaneously complete the Liberal Arts diploma and satisfy the general requirements for the bachelor’s degree as well as the lower-level requirements for a major, extended minor(s), or minor. This could save you time and money while earning your degree.

In addition to foundational courses in writing, communication, critical thinking, quantitative literacy, and scientific literacy, you can take classes from any of the following disciplines with the goal of finding a focus for your studies:

• Anthropology
• Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy
• Applied Statistics
• Art History
• Biology         
• Business
• Communications
• Computer Information Systems
• Criminal Justice
• Economics 
• English 
• English — Creative Writing 
• French 
• Geography 
• History 
• Indigenous Studies 
• Kinesiology
• Latin American Studies 
• Mathematics 
• Mathematics (Statistics option) 
• Media and Communication Studies 
• Peace and Conflict Studies 
• Philosophy 
• Political Science
• Psychology 
• Sociology 
• Sociology/Anthropology 
• Theatre 
• Visual Arts 

UFV's two-year Aboriginal Culture and Language Support (ACLS) diploma is designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives required for employment as an Aboriginal support worker in both public or First Nation-operated band schools.

As an Aboriginal support worker, your unique understanding of — and sensitivity to — the values, beliefs, and needs of students' Indigenous communities and heritage, as well as the needs of the education system, makes you a valuable asset to the school in which you work.

As part of the program, you develop the skills necessary to help Aboriginal youth succeed. You get to:

• Learn Halq'eméylem, the language of the Stó:l? people
• Explore the culture and history the Stó:l? people
• Gain counseling skills
• Examine contemporary issues and policies in Indigenous education
• Learn to support learner development